A billboard that reads “Grinding Nemo” has been set up by a group of fishermen and other citizens concerned about the impact of Cape Sharp Tidal’s project in the Bay of Fundy, Global News reports.
The 2MW tidal turbine was installed on November 7, 2016, by the Cape Sharp Tidal joint venture, made of OpenHydro and Emera. The joint venture plans to complete the 4MW tidal array this year with the addition of another 2MW tidal turbine to the site.
Darren Porter, a fisherman and spokesperson for the Fundy United Federation, told the Canadian news site that this was not aimed against renewable energy, but the consultation process used for the project. Porter further said he thinks that there are “too many unknown risks with opening up the Bay of Fundy to turbines.”
Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE), which operates the site where the turbine is installed, stated: “We held more than 45 meetings in the last year with groups around the province, with a focus on fishing and First Nations communities.”
The group had reportedly spent thousands of dollars on the billboard and might not stop at only one.
“This just isn’t about a machine, this resource is a living organism and right now we’re witnessing the corporate colonization of that living resource,” Porter said.
In October 2016, the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association (BFIFA) appeared in court to seek a stay for the installation of Cape Sharp Tidal’s turbines, voicing their concerns about the potential impacts of the turbines on the fish and Bay of Fundy’s ecosystem. However, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court decided not to halt the turbines deployment.